


Teaching a Cub to Respect His Elders

by Delay_no_more



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: AU:Tytos marries his first mistress, AU:hot!Tytos, Aftercare, Blackmail, Brotherly awkwardness, Coercion, Debts shall be paid, Discipline, F/M, Figging, Forced Nudity, Ginger - Freeform, Happy 18th nameday little lion!, Humiliation, I'm Going to Hell, I'm Sorry George!, Joy is feeling switchy, Kevan gets to watch, Kink, Lady Ellyn and Joy make a deal, Masturbation, Multi, Nope no plot twist just porn, Ouch!, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Poor little Kevan, Shameless spanking porn, So Wrong It's Right, Spanking, Switching, Technically 16 isn't underage in Westeros, Teenage angst and confusion, Tywin being Tywin, Tywin has to take one for the team, Voyeurism, What Have I Done, Yep that's a generic trigger warning, Yes this is a crackfic, infantilization, mouth soaping, non-con, young!Tywin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-09-22 23:58:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 15
Words: 13,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9630629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Delay_no_more/pseuds/Delay_no_more
Summary: Joy's new life is about as good as it gets. Born a mere baker's daughter, she is now the Lady of Casterly Rock by marriage. There's just one problem: Lord Tytos's insolent brat of an heir. Time to teach that cub some respect for his elders.Prompt: What if Tytos had actually married his mistress? And what if Tywin had been a bit younger? What if he'd been quite rude/cruel to her and with Tytos being too gentle a man to do so, it would fall on her to take her teenage (maybe 15-16?) step son in hand? Like with a spanking? And/or washing his mouth out?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Java1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Java1/gifts).



> Disclaimer: All the books belong to GRRM. All the characters belong to GRRM. I'm just playing with them. Sorry, George!
> 
> Warning: Read the tags.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alibi plot

“He's been walking all over you, and you've never once punished him, so of course he has no respect for you, Tytos!” She always made it a point to call him by his first name rather than m'lording him. She was his wife now, after all. “He must be taught a lesson!”

Tytos looked uncomfortable.

“He got up at our wedding banquet and told everyone how his father was marrying a whore and that he would not stand for it. Right in front of _us_ , mind you.”

“He likes to speak his mind,” Tytos said meekly. “It's his personality... He did the same thing when-”

“Seven bloody buggering hells, Tytos! He called me a whore! He called his mother by marriage a whore! On her wedding day!”

“He likes that word, I suppose...”

She rolled her eyes in exasperation. “You're afraid of him!”

“It just doesn't _feel_ right...” Tytos said. “To raise a hand against my own-”

“Well, it must be done!” She interrupted. “If you don't have the heart to discipline your son, I will.”

“You won't be able to. He's six-and-ten, a man grown, and you're barely older than him...”

“My mother died when I was ten, and I all but raised my four younger siblings. Your son is an insolent little brat, and believe me, nobody knows how to deal with brats like I do!”

“But what are you going to do when he just walks out on you? He doesn't even bother to show up anymore when I summon him...”

“Simple: You'll tell him you'll disown him. Or better yet, you'll let  _me_  disown him if he doesn't do as I tell him. That should serve.”

“But he's my heir, Joy...”

“You have three healthy boys waiting in line. You can groom any of them for leadership. Kevan is a nice enough lad; Tyg would serve just fine, I am sure. And this one,” she pointed at the toddler in her lap, “will grow up to be a fine, lordly young man with all the good milk he's been getting from me, I can promise you that. There's no short supply of heirs, Tytos!”

“But-”

“What do you think will happen once you are dead? He'll start wars with your bannermen and allies, that's what will happen. And you know who will suffer? The smallfolk! Do you want to know what it looks like for us when a spoiled little lordling like your son decides to go to war over some silly slight?”

Tytos looked at her sheepishly.

“Have you ever seen a child starve because a band of sellswords passing through thought it would be fun to burn the crops?”

“Fine,” Tytos sighed. “What would you have me do?”

“Write a letter,” she said, “address it to the King. Leave it with me. I'll take care of the rest.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I decided to name Tytos's mistress Joy because she was Gerion Lannister's wet nurse, and Gerion's bastard daughter's name is Joy Hill. I just think it would be awesome if he had named his first daughter after his wet nurse to annoy his older brother.
> 
> I imagine Joy to be about two years older than Tywin.


	2. You handled that very well, sweetling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shameless spanking porn
> 
> Edited

She sat behind Tytos's desk in his study, waiting for the brat to arrive.

When he finally came, he strode into the room unannounced, as he always did, glaring at her, the rage on his face barely contained. “I had to suffer Lady Ellyn's tyranny at Casterly Rock, the gods force me to watch and suffer my father's follies, and for now, it looks like I will have to suffer your presence,” he said. “But I will _not_ have you command me around, woman!”

He did not call her a whore for once, even though she could tell he wanted to. Despite his show of force, there was a subtle hint of insecurity on his face. _Tytos must have put on a better act than I thought, good enough to mess with his head a little. Well done, Tytos!_

She smiled to herself. The brat was her biggest challenge since she had first had to assert her authority over her eight-year-old brother many years ago, but Joy loved a good challenge.

“I believe your father has explained to you what's at stake.”

“He has,” the brat said dismissively, “he'll _disown_ me.” He sneered. “He'll never do that! He's too weak; he doesn't have the courage!”

“I'm sure he's told you the letters are with the maesters. All they need is _my_ word, and they will send them to King's Landing to make it official. You will take your punishment from me, or I'll have some good news to tell Kevan tonight.”

He scoffed. “My father would never allow that!”

She was almost disappointed how easily he had walked into that trap. “You just told me yourself, your father is a weak man. How is he going to stop me?”

“You're a commoner.”

“So? He married me.”

He fell silent, but she could guess what he was thinking.

“If you try to bribe or threaten the maesters, I'll hear of it and send my own copy. It's sealed and ready to go. If you force my hand, I will have Tytos add in a charge of plotting to overthrow him and ask the King to deal with you. Tytos tells me you were a fierce little cub at the royal court, always talking of how your sire was making mock of House Lannister and how you would have to rein him in once you were a man grown. Even the King found that a bit troubling, or so I've been told.”

“Nonsense!” He scoffed. But he suddenly looked a lot less sure of himself. _Now there's a truth_.

“Bottom line is unless you want to be sent to King's Landing in shackles to stand trial, you will obey me. Understood?”

He glared at her.

It was time to put on her parent face. “Good, I take that as a yes. Let's waste no time then, remove your boots and pants,” she ordered.

That took him by surprise. He looked at her as if she had asked him to cut off an arm.

“Now, Tywin. Or shall I do it for you?” She asked. 

He hesitated for half a heartbeat, but then seemed to decide it was better to do as he was told and feign indifference. He shrugged, took off his boots, unlaced his breeches and slid them off. “Happy now?”

“Very. Your smallclothes, too, quickly now.” She replied.

That put an end to his act of cool detachment. His eyes widened. “You cannot mean it!”

“I can and I do. Either you'll do it, or I'll call in the guards and they'll do it for you.” She let the threat hang in the air before continuing, “Off they go now, we haven't all day for this.”

He was fighting with himself, but when she threatened to get up and head for the door, he removed them and slung them on the floor. Bared from the waist down, he suddenly seemed very self-conscious. She moved her chair away from the desk and seated herself right across from him, all the while fixing him with her eyes as he tried hard not to fidget or instinctively tug at his doublet to pull it down just a little bit further.

“Well done,” she praised, showing him a soft yet sharp smile. “Now don't just stand there, lad, come here and bend yourself over so we can get this over with.” She patted her lap.

It was then that he realized what she intended to do. “No!”

“You can either bend over of your own accord, or I'll have have you tied to my lap, if that's what you would prefer.”

“You cannot mean it! I am a man grown!” There was a hint of panic in his voice. He swallowed, eyeing her, trying to gauge if she was serious or if this was just some kind of sick joke on her part. She knew then that she had won this round.

“You've been behaving like a sullen child ever since your father and I wed, Tywin. And from what I hear from the servants, I imagine you've done so for quite a bit longer. Well that ends here, young man. Your father may not believe in physical punishment, but I certainly do. If you want me to treat you as a man grown, then you best start behaving like one! Starting with taking your punishment with dignity.”

He glared at her, but she would have none of it. “Bend over, Tywin. I mean it, I will not tell you again.”

She could see the thoughts racing through his head, but then, reluctantly, he lowered himself over her knees. “You will regret this!” He threatened. “ _I will make you regret this_!”

“Hush!” She ordered, focusing on moving him into place.

She was a petite woman, and he was too tall to fit on her lap, so she had to adjust his position several times before she could wrap one arm around his torso to pin him in place.

She ran her hand over his buttocks, stroking and probing them with her fingers and giving them a quick pinch. They were well-formed: round and firm to the touch. The skin on his muscular thighs was soft with a fine fuzz of light blond hair.

The first smack caught him completely off guard. He let out a grunt and a hiss. _Didn't expect such force, did you?_ She thought with satisfaction. “You know, when you've actually done some _work_ in your life instead of sitting around in a castle brooding over all the slights you've suffered, that gives you some pretty strong arms,” she told him, allowing herself a smile he wouldn't see before focusing her attention on the task at hand.

Again and again she brought her hand down hard in a series of slow, deliberate strikes. This time, he had prepared himself. He winced each time her flat palm landed on his clenched buttocks, but he didn't make a sound.

When she centered in on the fold between his buttocks and his thighs, he grew visibly uncomfortable. His legs started twitching and he was squirming in her lap so that she had to keep readjusting his position. “Stay still now, love. There! That's better.” She hummed, returning her focus to the fleshier parts of his bare bottom, watching it slowly turn a brighter shade of red as she increased the intensity of her strikes.

On and on she went, sending ripples of pain through his body, gradually wearing away at his composure until he could no longer control himself and began to let out a soft groan each time she hit him.

She paused to caress his red buttocks, gently stroking the hot, burning skin under her fingers. Somehow, the soft touch of her hands almost seemed to upset him more than the spanking. He winced and shifted his body uncomfortably, covering his face with his hands.

She gave his backside a final light slap. Now was as good a time as any to give him a break and get a look at all that anger and hurt pride on his face, she decided. “You handled that very well sweetling, up now.” She said with a softer tone, giving his back a light pat.

At first, he did not respond, but then he rose slowly, his legs shaky. His head was as red as his buttocks, and the look he gave her was one of pure, unadulterated hatred. “You are going to regret this.” He told her coldly.

She had to fight back a smile. “To your room, Tywin. I expect to see you washed up and on your best behavior for dinner.” _This_ , she thought, _is going to be fun_.

 


	3. Fetch me a hairbrush, will you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shameless spanking porn, rapidly approaching the outer fringe of my comfort zone

She wasn't too surprised when she counted only four children around the dinner table, but that didn't mean she was simply going to put up with Tywin's absence.

“I gave him a clear order to be here!” She complained to Tytos after the younger kids had left the table.

Her Laughing Lion seemed unperturbed. “I told you he never listens,” he said with infuriating calmness. “You could have saved yourself some time and effort.”

Joy resisted the burning urge to slap him. “I'll need two of your guards again,” she told him instead.

She found the boy lying on his stomach in bed, reading. He pretended not to notice her until she snatched the book from his hands.

“What do you want?” He said with a glower.

“We missed you at dinner, young man,” she replied sharply, setting the book aside.

“I ate in my chambers.”

“This won't serve. If I ask you to join us for dinner, I expect you to be there. Pity. I thought you had learned your lesson, but it looks like we will have to repeat it all over again.”

He raised an eyebrow, trying to stare her down.

 _Oh, this one has got some nerve_ , she thought. “Genna was asking for you earlier,” she said sweetly. “Maybe I should have her come and check on you.”

“Do _not_ touch my sister!” He snapped.

“Look at you, so protective of your sibling, little lion,” she laughed. “No need to worry, Genna has given me no cause to punish her. But she would see what would happen if she ever were to disobey me.”

He rolled his eyes, but it was obvious that the thought of having his sister witness his spanking had just the effect she had hoped it would have on him.

“Fetch me a hairbrush, will you?” Joy said. “Be quick about it.”

He shot her an angry, accusing glare but obliged.

Somewhere on his way between the privy chamber and back it must have occurred to him what she was planning. He seemed more nervous when he returned, avoiding her eyes. His hands were trembling ever so slightly as he handed her the brush.

She ruffled his hair. “No need to fear, sweetling. This will all be over soon if you behave yourself.” She motioned with her hand. “You know the drill. Everything below the waistline needs to come off.”

He pulled down his pants and his smallclothes, exposing his red backside to her. “There, woman!” He snarled as he dropped his clothes on the floor. “You are sick!”

She ignored the insult; she knew he was only trying to hide his shame and embarrassment behind a show of anger.

She took his hand and gently led him to the bed, positioning a pillow right in the middle. She beckoned him to lie down on his stomach and adjusted the cushion so it was positioned right under his hips, giving her easier access to his buttocks and thighs.

Examining his backside, she noted the damage she had inflicted with her hands was worse than she had expected. She traced the swollen marks with her fingers, watching him squirm uncomfortably. This was going to be painful for her little lion. She almost felt a bit sorry for him. _Well, it can't be helped_ , she thought to herself. _If I back down now, I've lost this battle for good_.

She brought the brush down in firm, focused cracks. He gasped in pain, grimacing as the hard wood descended on his aching bottom. His hands were clutching the bed sheet as he tried to ride out the pain. It was all he could do not to cry out.

As she moved down to his thighs, hitting them with full force, he began to struggle and grunt in pain. She pinned his ankles with one knee to stop him from kicking his legs in an effort to escape the searing pain of the brush smacking his bare flesh over and over again.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. His hands were grasping for something -anything- he could use to muffle his cries, but she had moved all the other pillows well outside his reach. He pressed his head onto the mattress, biting down on the sheets with all the strength he could muster. She continued striking him with precision until he was shaking from the pain and the fruitless attempts to stifle his sobs.

She stopped the moment she felt him go limp, all the fight having left his body. He was lying facedown on the bed, his shoulders quivering. She gently patted his back, but stopped when she noticed that his shaking only intensified. Whatever anger she had felt towards him was gone, she realized with surprise. She wanted to give him a hug and assure him that everything would be okay, but she knew better than to try that.

“As long as you behave yourself and don't disrespect your father or me, you don't have a thing to fear, Tywin” she told him with a gentle tone. “This could be the last spanking you'll ever have to suffer in your life. It's all up to you,” she added, placing a gentle kiss on his neck and leaving his chambers.

 


	4. Make her pay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse into  ~~the abyss~~ Tywin's head

He imagined her hanging by her neck from the highest tower of Casterly Rock, her lifeless body swinging back and forth as the winds swept over the castle. One day, he would make her pay. He smiled, thinking of how she would beg him for mercy and receive none.

The thought of revenge was the only thing that kept him going. He still had trouble sitting, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to hide from his father and siblings. The bloody woman insisted on his presence at every bloody meal, and his backside was in no shape that he would dare to defy her. To add insult to injury, she would stare at him and smirk as he squirmed in his seat.

If she had been beautiful, he might have understood why his father _bedded_ her, though to _marry_ her would have been just as unforgivable a crime. But on top of everything else, she was plain-looking. She always wore her light brown hair in a simple bun, and her gold-brown eyes might have made her stand out among the common women of Lannisport, but they paled in comparison to the luminous blue and green eyes of the ladies at the Rock. _She needs to go_ , he knew, _with each day that she stays, my father commands less respect. She is making a laughing stock of him. And of my House. And of_ me _._

That was the worst of it all. The way she so obviously reveled in his torment and humiliation and got away with it. He lowered his pants to take a look at his backside in the mirror. Even days after the beating, his buttocks were still a burning mess.

He took out a vial and rubbed the oil within on his glowing red mounds and thighs. His father's whore had given it to him, and he had sworn not to touch it, but his backside hurt so badly, the oil was a relief he couldn't afford to reject.

Each time he saw what she had done to him, he wanted to bury his head in shame. As he looked in the mirror, the painful memories came rushing back to him, how she had made him cry and writhe in pain, all the while laughing and calling him her “little lion.” _Oh, gods, no_! He clenched his fists, pushing the image from his head.

One day, when he was the Lord of Casterly Rock, Joy would regret her actions. He had prayed to the Stranger to take his father's life, but Lord Tytos looked as happy and healthy as ever. This wouldn't serve. He had to take matters into his own hands.

He had considered leaving the Rock for King's Landing, but the idea of fleeing from this woman made him feel weak. This was his castle by rights, and he would take it back from her, come what may!

If his father could not see what the woman was up to, he would have to help him. He might not be able to see her hang at this point, but he would make sure she would lose her hands. _Let's see how you will ever strike me again with nothing but two stumps!_


	5. No more lies, little lion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm a terrible person

“Tytos! It's obvious what your cub is doing. If I wanted to steal your dead wife's pearls, do you truly believe I would hide them _under my pillow_ of all places?! Where the servants would find them right away?”

“Father! Who else would have put them there if not her?! Don't you see? The only reason why she married you is to enrich herself! She's a thief! She must be punished!”

 _Oh, the gall of this brat_! Joy thought. “Who else would have put them there, you ask?” She said as calmly as she could. “You, of course, Tywin. Tytos, darling, your son hates me. I have tried to be good to him, but all he ever does is try to harm and humiliate me.”

Tytos looked unsure of what to believe. _Damn that man, have the gods given him no brain?_ Joy knew that if she lost her cool now, this could end badly for her. She drew up her shoulders. “Tytos, your son lied to you. This is unacceptable. Let me show him what happens to little boys who lie to their parents.”

Tytos seemed torn, but then, he threw his arms up in the air in exasperation. “Do as you will, Joy. Tywin, you will take your punishment from your mother.” With that, he strode out of the room.

“ _Mother_!” The cub spat. To hear the word from his father's mouth was like a slap in his face. “You are _not_ my mother!”

“I _am_ your mother by marriage,” she reminded him.

He scoffed.

“Don't be insolent now,” she chided.

“You are a whore trying to steal my family's gold!”

“Oh dear, there's that ugly word again. Come with me.” She took a firm hold of his wrists and pulled him towards a cabinet on the opposite side of her chamber.

Caught off guard, he stumbled and nearly fell, but she just kept dragging him along, stopping in front of the cabinet. He sneered at her and wanted to turn around to leave. “Stop testing my patience, Tywin!” She said sharply. “Or we will take this from the privacy of my bedchamber to your father's hall below.” _One of these days, I'll run out of threats, and then I'll have no choice but to at least let the other kids watch_ , she thought. That seemed like the easiest promise to follow through. But luckily for her, the prospect of a public humiliation in front of the lords and ladies at Casterly Rock still worked, at least for now. The cub stopped dead in his tracks.

“Wise choice, little lion,” Joy said. “Now, stand on your toes, love. Higher! Ah, there. Stretch out your arms to the side. That's good. Open your mouth, please.” She placed a small bar of soap in his mouth. He recoiled at the taste. “Close your mouth. Good boy! You will stay like this until I tell you otherwise.”

He had to gag. She remembered the feeling all too well from her own childhood. “I got through this, and so will you,” she told him, patting him on the back.

She picked up the thick book she had been reading from her bedside desk and seated herself on her bed. “I'm teaching myself to read. The Lady of Casterly Rock should be versed in the letters of the written word, don't you agree?” She opened the tome and started slowly mouthing the words to herself.

Soon enough, she could see his arms and shoulders getting tired, his legs shaking from what had to be some pretty nasty cramps in his calves. Soapy foam was running out of his mouth, and he was fighting back the tears welling up in his eyes.

She returned her attention to her book. “Let me finish two more pages, then you'll be done. Unless you give up first. Then we'll have to start over again.”

He was flailing his arms, trying to keep his balance.

At last, she released him. He rushed to the privy to spit out what was left of the soap in his mouth, gagging and retching.

“If I ever hear that word from your mouth again, you'll be stuck in that position for twenty pages,” she called after him. “And, by the Seven, should you ever think to lie to your father about me again, I'll read you the entire book!”

He kept rinsing his mouth, trying to rid himself of the vile taste. His face looked green. She knew what would follow, and sure enough, not a moment later, he was shaken by violent cramps as his body attempted to rid itself of the excess soap in his stomach and bowels.

“Oh dear,” Joy said. She wiped his face and pulled down his pants, sitting him down on the privy by way of precaution before leaving to fetch a bucket.

He was feverish, his head burning as he sat on the privy, emptying his bowels and stomach at the same time. She held a bucket for him with one hand and pressed a cloth soaked in icy water to his forehead with the other. Being a mother could be a messy affair. When the flux finally subsided and his stomach had calmed, she led him back to his own bedchamber.

Ignoring his feeble protest, she pulled his clothes off and dressed him in his bed robes before tugging him into bed. “Remember, no more lies, little lion!”

 


	6. He'll never have you whipped again, little dove!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More alibi plot :)

Joy was pleased with herself. Her efforts seemed to be paying off. The little lion was well-behaved. Most of the time, he simply avoided her, but when he couldn't, he was courteous enough, never giving her cause to complain. Even Tytos noted the difference and looked at her with new-found respect. She had achieved in less than a moon's turn what he had never thought possible.

Sometimes, she would watch the cub try to act all lordly and loved how a single smile of hers could completely throw him off balance. The effect was probably too subtle for anyone else to notice, but it did not escape her. Joy smiled _a lot_ these days.

She was on her way back from the dining hall to her quarters to see Tytos when suddenly she heard faint sobs from behind one of the doors she passed. She was in the servants' chambers, she realized.

A girl was lying on her stomach on a long, narrow bench, her head buried in her arms, crying. Her dress had been torn down to her waist, revealing bloody whip marks on her back.

Joy gasped at the sight. She knelt down next to the girl. “What happened, little dove?” She asked.

The girl raised her head. _Genna's handmaid_ , she realized. _The fierce one, all smiles and mischief that one_. She had forgotten her name, but it made her sad to see the girl so broken.

“I didn't mean to steal them, m'lady,” the girl sobbed. “I only wanted to see what they _looked_ like on me! I swear it!”

“Hush!” Joy patted the girl's head. “Everything is going to be okay. Calm yourself and tell me what happened.” She pulled out a bottle of soothing oil from her robes and started gently applying some of it to the girl's back.

The girl winced. “I tried on Lady Genna's pearls,” she sniveled. “I know it was wrong, but they were so beautiful! Lord Lannister saw me and had me whipped in front of all the servants.”

“Who? _Tytos_?” Joy asked, incredulously. _Tytos would never-_

“No, m'lady, his son.”

Joy did not have to ask which son. “He's making you call him Lord Lannister?” She asked.

The girl nodded, her shoulders quivering.

“You are safe, little dove. I will see to it that the little lordling is punished. He will never have you whipped again, I promise.”

The girl stared at her with big, doelike eyes. “How?” _To her, the brat is an untouchable monster_ , Joy realized. _Of course he would be_. The thought that Tywin was taking his rage out on his servants disturbed her more than she cared to admit to herself.

“Don't you worry about the when and the how,” she said. “But when you see him tomorrow, watch him closely and see if he'll sit down. I promise you he won't!”

The girl did not seem to understand. “Just watch him,” Joy repeated. She handed her the bottle of soothing oil before getting up. “I have matters to attend to, sweetling. You find someone to help you apply that ointment. You'll feel better soon!”

Tytos would have to wait. She would go find Kevan instead. And then, the brat would be in for a _big_ surprise.

 


	7. This never happened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joy is evil. So am I, I suppose.

Kevan sat with his back to the door. He turned around as he heard them enter. In his hands, he held a sapling, freshly cut, just like she had told him. And what a sapling it was! Even with the leaves and twigs still on, she could tell it would make the perfect switch: long, straight, flexible, neither too thin nor too thick, just perfect.

When Tywin saw his brother, he froze. All the color left his face. “No!” He said. “No, no, no, no, no!” He wanted to turn around and leave, but Joy grabbed his wrist. “You stay right here, young man! I am _not_ done with you!”

He yanked his hand free. “You will not... You will _not_...” _He can't get himself to say the words_ , she realized. _No, he can't even think of a good way to put this_. “I will not spank you in front of your little brother?” She helped him out. “Is that what you mean to say? Oh, but I will, trust me, that's a promise!”

Kevan's face flustered. A plump boy of four-and-ten, he still looked more child than man. He was trying to meet his older brother's gaze to get reassurance that Joy was only jesting, that everything would be okay, but Tywin did his best to ignore him.

“I did nothing wrong!” He protested. “She is just a serving girl. It was not her place to wear my sister's jewelry!”

“Of course,” Joy said, “but you should have come to me or your father. Clearly, you lack the judgment to decide on an adequate punishment. You can count yourself lucky I'm not spanking you in front of all the servants, like you did to that poor girl. Now bare your bottom for me, little lion, before I change my mind.”

Tywin looked as if he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole. Kevan stared at them, his mouth wide open in shock as his older brother grudgingly did as he was told and took off his pants and undergarments. _I've trained my little lion well_ , Joy thought proudly.

“Close your mouth, little cub,” she told Kevan. “Unless it's your intention to look dimwitted. Here,” she handed Tywin the switch and a knife. “Trim and peel this for me, love! Don't get any ideas. The blade is too blunt to cut my throat.”

His face was on fire as he sat down on the bed, trimming the twigs and peeling the bark off the switch.

“This is what happens to little lordlings who like to torment the vulnerable,” Joy reminded him sternly. She turned to Kevan. “Look at me, child! You may be the Lord of Casterly Rock one day if your brother persists in his errors. To beat a servant girl is weak and cowardly, you hear me? Sometimes your servants may need to be punished, but the punishment has to be proportionate, you understand? What will _you_ do if you ever catch a servant doing something wrong?”

“I'll come to you,” Kevan said meekly, looking down on the floor. Tywin shot him an angry glare.

“That's right,” Joy praised the younger boy. “You'll come to me.”

She ran her hands over the switch once Tywin was done peeling it, bending it to test its flexibility. It was smooth and supple. “Well done! Now lie on your back, little lion, legs up.”

At first, he only cringed at her calling him little lion, but then, slowly, he began to realize what she was asking of him. “On my _back_?!” He was horrified. “No! _No_!”

“Do I always have to threaten?” She lamented. “Won't you ever be a good little lion and do as you're told? On your back now, legs up.” She repeated. He seemed to be in shock, paralyzed at the thought of being forced into such a degrading position. It worked in her favor. She eased him onto the bed and bent his legs back, pushing them against his stomach. “There. Hold your legs for me, will you?”

His face was burning as he locked his arms behind his knees, fully exposed, his feet dangling in the air.

She picked up the switch and coated it with oil. A little oil could go a long way to increase the sting without breaking the skin, she thought smiling to herself.

Poor little Kevan looked distraught. “Please don't do this!” He begged her. He took a deep breath. “It was _my_ idea to have the girl whipped!” That was a lie, of course, and normally, lies angered her, but she couldn't help but be impressed by his selfless attempt to protect his brother. _He's been on the receiving end before_ , she realized. _He knows what lies ahead, and still, he's willing to take it on himself to spare his brother the pain and humiliation_.

Not for the first time, she cursed the laws of succession. _If this one were to become the Lord of the Rock, I could sleep in peace._ She patted his head. “Your brother is a big boy. He can take this.”

Kevan seemed unconvinced. “Please don't-” he began, but Tywin interrupted him. “Stop pleading with her like a little girl!” He snapped.

The younger boy looked like a beaten dog. _The brat is almost as cruel to his sibling as he is to his servants_. “Your brother wants to help you, and this is how you thank him?” She brought the switch down with a loud swish. Two boys cried out in shock and surprise. Kevan's face was a mask of horror, but somehow, he couldn't get himself to look away, his eyes transfixed on the scene unfolding before him.

The strike left a noticeable welt mark on Tywin's buttocks. He bit his lips as she hit him again, suppressing a whimper and turning his head to the side to avoid her and Kevan's eyes. “No!” Joy said sternly. “You will look at me, understood, little lion?”

“Don't call me that!” He protested. She smiled inwardly at his attempt to sound intimidating. Helpless on his back, all it did was make him sound ridiculous, and he seemed to realize it as the words left his mouth.

Thanks to the oil, his skin did not break, but it did not take long until his whole backside was burning red with crisscrossed welts. Tears were welling up in his eyes, though he did his best to fight them back.

Somehow, he had managed to stop himself from crying out in pain, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of making him weep in front of his little brother, but the switching was clearly taking its toll. He was trembling, slowly losing his grip on his legs.

“Looks like your brother's arms are getting tired,” Joy told Kevan. “Do me a favor and help him hold his legs up, love.”

For a moment, it looked as if her little lion might actually faint in embarrassment. He closed his eyes. “Please don't do this,” he said softly. It was the first time he ever used the word _please_ with her, she realized.

“It will be your brother or the guards,” Joy told him firmly.

Kevan was in tears. “ _Please_ don't make me do this,” he begged.

Joy stroked his head. “ Be strong, little cub! Your big brother needs your help. You wouldn't want me to call someone else to do this, would you?”

Kevan sniveled as she motioned for him to kneel on the bed, but he complied. “There.” She locked his hands around his brother's ankles. “Now keep those legs pushed back until I'm done, alright? It will all be over soon.” Kevan looked to the side, and Tywin covered his face with his freed-up hands, but Joy would have none of that. “No! You will _look_ at each other,” she commanded.

It was quite a sight, two brothers so uncomfortably close to each other, both squirming with embarrassment, yet too afraid of what she would do next if they disobeyed her and looked away.

She raised her hand and brought the switch down again and again on the sensitive underside of his bottom until her little lion could no longer control himself and was sobbing just as heavily as his little brother.

Then she stopped. “There, shhh, it's all over.” She helped Kevan get up from the bed before wiping away Tywin's tears. “I'm sorry I had to do this, but I cannot allow you to be so cruel to your servants, little lion.” She handed him his clothes. “Get dressed, love.”

He got up slowly, as if in a trance, his eyes blank as he put his pants back on.

“Off you go, cubs!” Joy said once he was done.

She could hear the boys whispering as they hurried out of her chamber.

“You _must_ tell father,” Kevan implored his brother, his voice still choked with tears. “This...this... She... she is out of-”

“I will _not_ , and _neither will you_!” Tywin interrupted him, panicked. “This never happened. See you'll remember that! _This never happened_!”

She smiled to herself. _Oh, my little lion_. His pride was working in her favor.

She closed the door behind them. _Right. I still need to go find Tytos_. She looked at the switch in her hands, wiping it clean with a piece of cloth. _A little surprise for my Laughing Lion_ , she thought. Though to him, she suspected, it would be of the pleasant kind.

 


	8. Will you *stop talking* about it!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kevan wants to *talk* about things

Tywin had tried his best to avoid his brother, but eventually, the younger boy tracked him down and cornered him in the stables.

“I'm sorry!” Kevan kept repeating over and over again. “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!”

 _Gods, why won't he stop saying that_? He could feel the blood rush into his head. “I don't know what you're talking about,” he responded stiffly.

“You know... what Joy _did_ to you...” Kevan was biting his lip. “Hitting you... and what _I_ did...holding your-”

“I _know_ ,” he hissed, cutting the younger boy off before he had the chance to utter the word 'legs.' “Will you _stop talking_ about it?” Things were bad enough as they were. The last thing he needed was Kevan rubbing salt into his wounds.

His brother looked crestfallen. “I'm sorry! I know you're angry at me. I didn't want to do it; I just didn't want her to get the guards! Will you forgive me?”

 _Only if you stop reminding me..._ “I'll be going back to King's Landing,” he changed the topic. “The Rock bores me to death.” He sighed. There was no way around it.  _I'll have to ask him to come along if I ever want him to shut up about what Joy did._ It was the best way to show his brother he'd forgiven him. "I suppose you'll be joining me?”

Kevan's eyes lit up. “Yes! Yes, I'd love to come with you.”

“Good.” Tywin said. “I'll inform father, tell him we're leaving on the morrow.”


	9. Like a Lion Eating Its Prey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smutty alibi plot; teenage angst and confusion

He heard a noise coming from his father's chambers just as he was about to enter. Something told him he should just turn around and leave, but his curiosity got the better of him. He carefully pushed the door open.

The room was bathed in the soft glow of candlelight, but his father was nowhere to be seen. When he finally spotted him, his heart skipped a beat. Lord Tytos was on the opposite side of the room, facing away from him. He was pushing Joy against the wall, rocking her up and down, both of them naked as their nameday!

Joy had her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck, her soft brown curls tumbling over her shoulders. Tywin had only seen her once with her hair down, on the day of her wedding, but back then, it had been combed and tamed while now, it was wild and disheveled. Her brown eyes were radiant, reflecting the golden glow of the candles. He felt a tingle in his stomach as he caught a glimpse of her small, firm breasts.

And Lord Tytos... he'd never seen him so... _ferocious_. His father was growling like an animal devouring her, digging his nails into Joy's hips, biting her neck, leaving her bruised and bloody. _Like a lion eating its prey_... It felt odd to see a weak man like his father looking so strong, so fierce, so aggressive...

He wanted to leave before his father or Joy noticed him but found himself unable to move or avert his eyes, mesmerized by their passionate dance. The prey was fighting back, moaning and throwing her head back, clawing her nails into his father's shoulders, drawing blood.

It was only then that he noticed Lord Tytos's backside was covered with welt marks. Their pattern looked horribly familiar. And as if it had been put there just to taunt him, he saw the switch Joy had used on him propped up against the wall, within her hand's reach.

He gasped as her hand began to feel around for it. _Did she see me? Does she know I'm here_? He slowly backed away. As soon as he was out of their earshot, he ran.

He didn't feel safe until he was back in his bedchamber and had barred the door behind him. _Like a lion eating its prey..._ He was pacing around his room, desperately trying to forget what he had seen. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the image out of his head. Or the sounds Lord Tytos and Joy had made, growling, hissing, moaning...

To his horror, he felt a bulge in his pants. _No, no, no! This can't be! Not now_! He tried picturing his nursemaid with her stern, disapproving gaze and the dark hair growing on her upper lip. But somehow, her face kept turning into Joy's, a mocking smile on her lips as if she could see him right now. _Oh, my little lion_ , he heard her say.

He tried counting the bricks on the wall and examined every single furrow on the wooden floor of his room, but nothing would work. Wherever he looked, all he could see was his father biting and scratching Joy as she moaned in pain and pleasure. He even thought of going to the kitchen for some ice, but in his state, he did not dare leave his room.

In the end, he gave up and unlaced his breeches. _She doesn't know; nobody will ever know this happened_ , he told himself. _Ah, but I do know_ , Joy's voice taunted him in his head. _I know everything about you, little lion_. He wanted to slap her, shove her against the wall, scratch those firm, pale breasts of hers bloody and devour her like his father had... It was all he could think about.

Once he had spilled his seed, he took a moment to collect himself before calling his servants to pack his belongings and make preparations for his departure. _Everything will be alright once I'm back in King's Landing_ , he told himself. He would have time to think, clear his head, and plan his next move.

 


	10. Nothing that needs concern you, my lady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit more alibi plot, but I promise there'll be more spanking soon :)

It had been two years since the cubs' hasty departure for King's Landing. And even though she would have rather cut out her tongue than admit it, Joy had missed her little lions.

Still, the day Tytos had received a raven informing him the boys were due for a visit, she had doubled the Lannister household guards' pay to ensure they took orders from her and from her alone. One could never be too careful.

Joy was busy overseeing preparations for winter, so she did not realize her cubs had returned until Kevan came to look for her in her study to greet her. He had grown much taller, but his face remained a bit chubby, making him appear younger than he was. “I'm a knight now.” He told her proudly. “Lord Roger himself knighted me!”

Joy nodded approvingly. She'd been forced to deal with Roger Reyne several times in the past year and did not find him the most pleasant of company, but there was no denying he was a formidable fighter. Everybody said so. “I'm sure you fought valiantly in the war then, Ser!” She told him, not without a certain pride.

Tywin tried to avoid her as best he could, but when he couldn't evade her, he treated her correctly as befit her status as Lady of the Rock. Compared to two years prior, he had become much calmer and more collected, though Joy wasn't sure that was a good thing. Somehow, the hotheaded youth who liked to call her a whore to her face had been much more predictable than the composed young man who had returned from King's Landing.

She asked some of her guards to keep an eye on him, but it was more by chance that she saw him heading for the rookery. At first, she thought he was trying to threaten the maesters. But when she caught up with him halfway up the stairs to the tower, she saw he was carrying letters of his own. “What are those, Tywin?”

“Just letters,” he said. “Nothing that needs concern you, my lady.”

 _My lady_ , she thought. _Oh, have we come a long way_. But the courtesy did not make her trust him any better. Before he knew it, she had snatched the letters out of his hands. “I'll be the judge of that, young man,” she said sternly.

She quickly skimmed the letters, proud to know she no longer instinctively mouthed the words as she read them. _Present yourself at Casterly Rock within a fortnight... Answer for your crimes..._ “Does your father know you're sending letters to Lord Walderan and Lord Roger accusing them of crimes against your sire?”

“Father is a busy man. I do not want to trouble him with these tedious matters,” he said. “Surely you would agree that these two lords must be brought to heel.”

She managed to suppress a smile at the very last moment. “Yes. But last I checked, you were not the Lord of Casterly Rock.”

“Last I checked neither were you,” he shot back. His polite facade was beginning to crack. “I told you, this is none of your concern. Why do you even care?”

“Because I'm trying to teach you to stop going behind your father's back, and I'm worried that you're out to shed blood. The last thing the Westerlands need is a war. Wars bring poverty and destruction. If you ever want to be a lord, you will need to understand that, little lion.”

That brought a sudden end to his pretense of gallantry and composure. “You will _not_ call me that!” He spat. “I am a man of eight-and-ten and a knight proven in battle. You will show me respect, woman!”

“Oh, it's Ser then, is it now?” She said. “Well, you may fancy yourself a knight, _Ser_ , but all I see is a spoiled little lion with bad manners. To your room! I will deal with you later!”

He stared at her, rage mixed with disbelief, and for a moment, she feared he might push her down the stairs. But then he took a deep breath. “No, I think not, my lady,” he said before seizing the letters from her hands and walking past her back down the stairs.


	11. A plant from Yi Ti, a root

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hooray for ginger :)

She'd given him several chances to rectify his behavior and come to her of his own accord, but he'd refused to speak to the servants she'd sent to summon him or to acknowledge the messages they carried. In the end, she saw no other choice. The captain of the household guard had seemed uneasy about her plans at first, but after a nod from Tytos, he'd grudgingly agreed to play his part.

She had expected the guards to have to drag the cub before her, but Tywin was unexpectedly calm for someone who had been awoken in the middle of the night and hauled across half the castle only to be delivered to _her_ of all people.

“You have my leave to go,” he told the guards, as if he had asked them to accompany him.

Joy nodded to signal her agreement, and they closed the door behind them.

“What is the meaning of this?” The cub demanded as soon as the guards were outside.

“I'm giving you one last chance.”

“Or what?” He sneered. “You'll send that letter? King Aegon the Weak, lover of smallfolk, is dead, burned to ashes at Summerhall, in case no-one had told you. Thank the gods. All he ever did was give rights to commoners and watch the realm fall apart.”

Joy had to take a deep breath not to lose her cool. She had wept the day they brought her the news of King Aegon's passing, and Tywin's words offended her more than she could say. But it was no use arguing with him. “I doubt King Jaehaerys would appreciate you speaking about his father in such a manner,” she told him firmly. “But, no, I won't be sending any letters, not tonight at least. This is your last chance to submit to your punishment of your own will before I have you stripped and bound by the guards.”

He looked as if he wanted to strike her, but then he just threw his hands in the air. “Oh, enough. I won't suffer any more of your madness. I'll forgive you this folly of having me dragged here _this once_ , but see you'll never do it again, or you _will_ regret it.” He turned around and strode right out the door, but the guards blocked his path.

Joy smiled. “Ah, good you're still here,” she told them. “The little lordling needs help undressing, it would seem.”

The captain of the guards was near seven feet of packed muscle, a mountain of a man, but he looked as though he was about to piss his pants when she spoke the words. She knew he would have preferred for it not to come to this, and so had she, truth be told. Still, it could not be helped, and the captain knew that as well. “Sorry m'lord, orders of Lord Tytos!” He muttered as two of his men grabbed a hold of Tywin, unceremoniously pulled off his boots and started unlacing his pants.

For half a heartbeat, the cub was in complete shock; then disbelief turned to panic. “Stop! Take your hands off me! I'll do it! Leave, all of you!”

The guards stepped back as Joy gestured for them to withdraw.

“I'll see their heads on spikes,” Tywin told her as soon as they were gone. “And yours, too, one day.”

Joy smiled mildly. “Perhaps you will,” she said, “but for now, you'll see that those pants come off.”

She watched as he stripped off his clothes, until he stood in front of her in nothing but his waistcoat, stiff as a poker, his head read with anger, and shame and something else she couldn't quite place.

“See, that was easy,” Joy told him. “Why couldn't you do that in the first place? I'm afraid you've earned yourself some additional punishment for all the trouble you put the guards through.”

He eyed her suspiciously as she pulled out two pieces of rope and a fleshy tuber the size and shape of her hand. “Your choice. It's the rope or this.”

She could see him panic at the thought of being tied like cattle, but the oddly shaped plant in her hand made him nervous as well.

“It's called gi-ang,” Joy explained. “It's a plant from Yi Ti, a root. The cooks use it to add spice and flavor to your food on festive occasions, little lion. You've had it many times, I'm sure. So. Which one will it be?”

“The root,” he mumbled, barely audible.

“Pardon? Which?”

“ _That_ thing! The root.” He repeated testily.

“Then the root it shall be.” She took out a knife, broke a finger off the hand-shaped mass and started skinning it. She would have preferred for him to peel it himself, but in his current state, she did not trust him with a blade of any sort.

Once everything was ready, she made him kneel on the bed. “Chest down, bottom up, love. Show me those lovely cheeks. That's good! You can rest your head on your arms. You'll be more comfortable that way.”

She knelt down right behind him, running her hands over those two perfectly shaped mounds sticking up in front of her. It was only then that she noticed the marks. They had partly faded away, but there was no doubt about it: there were welts on his buttocks, and they certainly weren't hers from over two years ago. The sight brought a smile to her face. _Oh, my little lion, what have you been up to?_ But she knew better than to confront him now. This was a piece of information she would keep for some other time.

“Relax, love,” she told him instead. “Relax your muscles.” She gently parted his buttocks, revealing the tight pink hole hidden between them, and started to push the peeled root in. But as soon as he felt its cold, wet touch, he leapt to his feet.

“What is this!” He glared at her in shock. “What are you doing?!”

“Did I give you leave to get up?” She gestured at the bed. “Back down.”

“You are mad! You can't do this!” He protested, slowly backing away, trying to put as much distance between himself and Joy as possible.

“Back down now, sweetling, or I'll call the guards, and we'll have to use that rope after all.”

“This is _wrong_! You cannot do this! It's... it's _unnatural_!” The thought of having to submit to _this_ clearly terrified him, but he'd seen enough to have realized Joy made no idle threats, not today. He knelt back down on the bed, burying his head in his arms to avoid her gaze.

She gave his buttocks a quick slap before pulling them apart and slowly inserting the root. He was clenching his muscles. “ _Relax_ , little lion,” she hummed. “This would be much less painful for you if you just relaxed!” _For now, at least_.

He winced and squirmed uncomfortably on the bed as she pushed the gi-ang finger up further. “Ah, here we go, we're almost done. There!”

His head had turned a deeper shade of red. He looked as though he was praying for the ground to open up and swallow him whole. But as the heat of the gi-ang gradually built in intensity, the shame and humiliation on his face were replaced by a look of fear and anxiousness.

She got up to fetch a paddle from her collection. The one she picked wasn't particularly big or scary looking, but his face turned pale when he spotted it all the same.

Joy knelt back down on the bed, gently massaging his buttocks as she waited for the burn to build. And build it did. Soon, he was shifting uncomfortably, and not long after, he was biting his lips as the first tears shot to his eyes. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. “Please let me remove it! It burns!” For a moment, it looked as if _he_ might call in the guards and beg them to get him out of there, away from her, come what may.

“No,” Joy said. “Be a strong little lion for me.” She gave his buttocks one final squeeze before bringing the paddle down with full force. His immediate reflex when the hard wood made contact with his bare skin was to tense his muscles to reduce the pain, but that only worsened the burn inside of him, making him cry out in anguish.

It only took a few more blows until he was in tears, begging her to stop. She felt sorry for him, but she was determined not to let him off the hook before she had made her point.

“You will not go behind your father's back _ever_ again!” She told him, accentuating every word with a blow on his tender, aching bottom.

“I won't! I won't! _Please_ stop!”

“Don't _ever_ try to start a war with your father's bannermen!”

“I won't! I promise!”

“If I tell you to come see me, you will, understood?”

“I will! I'm sorry! Stop!”

He was squirming on the bed, pulling his hair, fighting with himself not to reach back with his hands to protect his bottom.

Finally, when his backside was little more than a red, burning mess, she took pity on him.

He collapsed flat on the bed, only to be reminded of the burning sensation inside of him the moment his legs straightened. “ _Please_ take that thing out!” He sounded tired.

She pulled his buttocks apart, taking care not to hurt him any more than she had to, and gently pulled out the gi-ang. He lay flat on his stomach, too exhausted to move or speak.

“There, it's all over!” She was rubbing his back. For once, he didn't recoil from her touch.

Joy couldn't have said how long they stayed like that. She was about to get up when suddenly, he turned his head to face her. “Do you really not understand why I did what I did?” He asked. There was neither anger nor arrogance in his voice. “Why I had to send that letter? Not even a little bit?”

 _He is talking to me in earnest_ , she realized. That took her aback for a moment. “Ah, but I do understand,” she told him once she had recovered herself. “I understand you better than you think. As a matter of fact, there is something I've been meaning to talk to you about.”

 


	12. I'm afraid you have no say in the matter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tywin learns he'll have to take one for the team

He slowly rose, pushing himself up on all fours first before sliding off the bed. She could tell he was still in a great deal of pain.

“Lie down on my lap, love,” she gestured at her knees. “I'll give you something to ease the pain while we speak.”

To her great surprise, he bent himself over without protest. She poured some soothing oil into her cupped hand and began to spread it on his bright red backside, gently massaging it into his skin. He was tense at first, but slowly started to relax.

“I understand you, Tywin, I do,” she began. “You see, it was me who persuaded your father to send ravens to all his bannermen who had borrowed gold from House Lannister.” Tytos had been reluctant to ask his vassals to repay their debt, of course, but she had insisted.

“You?” He asked incredulously. “Why do _you_ care?”

“Because,” she said, “I am a baker's daughter, and I know that once you start forgiving debts, you might as well close up shop. It's a lesson I learned early. My father called it kindness, but the truth is, people will think of it as weakness and exploit it. I was always the one who made sure people paid us in time. Go to Lannisport and ask around, see if you can find anyone who owes Joy the baker's daughter even so much as a copper. I assure you, you will find no-one.” She sighed. “Like it or not, little lion, I am a Lannister now. That money is owed to me as well.”

“So you agree that the Reynes and Tarbecks must pay us back!” He said. “Then why did you-” He stopped abruptly. She had pushed a finger inside his hole and was spreading the ointment inside of him to ease the burn of the gi-ang. He winced at first and shifted his body, clenching his sphincter tightly around her finger, but as the cooling properties of the soothing oil began to take effect, he loosened up.

“That feels good, doesn't it?”

He did not respond, but he didn't protest either when she pushed in a second finger, gently stretching him. “I told you,” she said. “I don't want you to spill blood. War is a terrible thing. I don't blame you. You're still young, and you've grown up protected in a castle, but-”

“I've fought in battle!” He protested. “I've _killed_ in battle.”

“I have no doubt about that,” she said, “but you don't know what war means for the smallfolk.” _You do not_ care _what it means for the smallfolk_ , she thought sadly. _To you, we're not even human._ But there was no point in arguing with him. It only made her tired. “Be that as is may, this issue will be resolved peacefully. I'll hear no more of war from you.”

She'd found the small round gland inside of him and began massaging it with her fingers.

“What- what are you doing?!”

“I'm trying to make you feel better, little lion.”

“Stop! Stop it! I- I don't like it!”

She smiled. _That bump against my knee tells me otherwise_ , she thought. But she did as he bid her and pulled her fingers out. She felt bad enough as it was, knowing what she was about to tell him. So she returned to spreading more oil on his red backside.

“I met with Lady Ellyn,” she said. “I'm sure you remember her.”

He tensed. “That _bitch_!”

“Ah! Watch your language, young man!” She gave his bottom a light slap. “I spoke with her, and she agreed to persuade her brother and her husband to repay the gold owed to House Lannister.”

“Impossible!” The cub spat. “Lady Ellyn would never promise such a thing.”

“There _is_ a price,” Joy conceded. “But after all the stories she told me, I was willing to give her what she wants.”

“What does she want? A husband for her daughter? I suppose we could give her Gerion if she's willing to wed her grown daughter to an infant,” he scoffed.

“No,” Joy said. “She does not want a Lannister good-son.”

“Land, then?” The cub kept guessing.

 _No doubt you're racking your brain what poisonous gift you could make her._ She parted his legs to apply the oil to his inner thighs. Her touch made him twitch involuntarily. “No. No land. No titles, either. No, little lion, she wants _you_.”

He jumped up. “She wants _what_?”

“It seems you've been quite rude to her in the past. She did not appreciate your attitude. We have that in common, Lady Ellyn and I. So I told her about my... _methods_. Long story short, she'll make sure all debts will be repaid in full if-”

Tywin looked at her, petrified. “No!” He shook his head. “ _No!_ I can't believe she even dared to ask!”

“She didn't,” Joy said calmly. “I offered.”

He gave her a disgusted look. “I can't believe you would do such a thing!” Was she imagining things or was there hurt on his face as well? She could not say for sure. “Well, if you think I'm going to play along, you're mistaken.”

“I'm afraid you have no say in the matter. The deal has already been made. Lady Ellyn is on her way to Casterly Rock, bringing half the money owed to your father with her.”

“Good!” He scoffed. “Then I'll take the money from her and throw her in a dungeon.”

Joy laughed. “I don't think so, young man. I won't allow it, and neither will your father.”

“Father would not allow Lady Ellyn to-” he began but then stopped himself.

“You're right, he probably wouldn't approve of the deal I've made,” Joy agreed. “But he will never find out about it because you won't tell him, will you, little lion? You're too proud to run and beg your father for help. No. You'd rather take your punishment from Lady Ellyn.”

“No, I won't!” He strode towards the door and almost pushed it open when he suddenly remembered he was still naked from the waist down.

“Think of it this way,” Joy said as he dressed himself. “You'll finally get to do something to help your house.”

He did not dignify that with a response and left without another word.

Joy did feel guilty. _He tried to talk to me nicely_. But she could hardly backtrack on the promise she'd made to Ellyn.

She sighed.  _Well, I suppose it's better than war_.


	13. We should both pay a price

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joy proposes a deal

Ellyn Reyne Tarbeck stood tall at almost six feet with dark hair that tumbled over her shoulders. Her dress was made of red silk laced with silver that matched her radiant gray eyes. Joy couldn't help but feel intimidated by her as she watched the Tarbeck men unloading the gold she'd agreed to repay.

Lady Ellyn had brought her husband in tow, and he seemed to be scuttling behind her wherever she went. _This is the easy one_ , Joy thought. _Nothing is truly settled until she delivers us her brother. For that to happen, the cub needs to play along_.

And therein lay her problem. Tywin would acknowledge Joy's presence in front of others when he had no choice, but he hadn't spoken to her since _that_ night. She knew he wouldn't go to Tytos, but somehow she doubted he would meekly submit to Ellyn. _There's no way around it_ , she thought. _I'll have to sweeten the deal_.

She found Tywin in his bedchamber where he'd spent most of the time since the Tarbecks had arrived at Casterly Rock. “Come to drag me off to present to Lady Ellyn?” He asked, unsmiling.

“No,” she said. “I've come to apologize. And to make you an offer.”

For half a heartbeat, he looked as if he might simply kick her out, but then he decided against it. “I'm listening.”

“I've made a promise to Lady Ellyn,” she began, “and she's held up her end of the deal. It would be a grievous affront to fail to honor _our_ end of the deal.”

“There's no _us_ or _our_ end of the deal as far as I am concerned. So you'll forgive me if I fail to see why _I_ should be worried about hurting Lady Ellyn's feelings.”

“This isn't about feelings,” Joy said. “This is about avoiding bloodshed. But I take your point. I made this deal rashly.”

“Indeed, you did.” He said darkly.

Joy took a deep breath. What she was about to propose both frightened and excited her. “Be that as it may, I will not renege on my promise to Ellyn. This is going to happen, whether you like it or not. But I feel this deal benefits the both of us, so we should _both_ pay a price.”

Tywin looked up. _Well, I have his attention now_.

“It would seem Lady Ellyn has no interest in disciplining me,” she continued. “But if you play along nicely and offer yourself to her of your own free will, you'll get to do with me as you please in return.”

His jaw dropped.

 _Didn't see that coming, did you, little lion?_ Joy thought. “That's right. Well, you won't get to kill me, I should add, and I'd prefer to keep all my limbs, but other than that...”

The look on his face was priceless. He was completely stunned, unable to utter a single word.

Finally, he seemed to regain his senses. “Get out.” He said.

Joy nodded, quickly turning around to hide her smile.

She knew she had him.

 


	14. That sick woman

Lady Ellyn would smirk at him every time she passed him. _I'm waiting_ , her eyes would say. _Joy made me a promise. You can delay this, but you cannot escape me_. It was infuriating.

The worst part was the way things stood, she was right. Unless he fled for King's Landing, ceding her the Rock yet again, Joy would follow through with her mad plans, come what may. She'd proven him that much when she'd dragged him out of bed in the middle of the night. The memory still turned his stomach. She might pretend that she did what she did for purely disciplinary reasons, but he knew better. _That sick woman_.

Of course, there was always the possibility that Joy might meet with an _accident_. She was careful enough, he had to grant her that. Her personal guards accompanied her almost everywhere, never letting her out of sight. Still, Tywin was almost certain she did not know about the secret entrance to her bedchamber. This was the kind of thing only someone who had spent a childhood at Casterly Rock would know.

He _could_ have a few trusted men snatch her in the middle of the night and have her thrown off her balcony. It was a long way down to the Lion's Mouth. Like as not, they'd never even find her body.

But somehow, that did not satisfy him. _Her death has to be public_ , he thought. _People need to see what happens to those who do not know their place_. Elsewise, it would only be a matter of time until Lord Tytos would find himself a new whore.

Of course, for her to be executed, she'd either have to be found guilty of a crime or... _Father has to go first_. But everybody knew that the kinslayer was accursed in the eyes of gods and men.

Tywin pushed the thought aside. No. He couldn't kill Joy just yet. But he _could_ make her suffer. She herself had been stupid enough to make him a deal. Of course, he had no intention of offering himself up to Ellyn.

Still, he couldn't get the thought of Joy begging him for mercy out of his head. And what did he have to lose anyway? If she was going to make him suffer for refusing to flee Casterly Rock, he might as well pay her back in kind, at least.

He grabbed the dagger on his bedside table and set out for Joy's chamber.

 


	15. You shouldn't make assumptions

Joy wore a golden damask gown, her brown curls piled on top of her head, making her look almost elegant for a baseborn woman. She stepped aside to let him in. “You've made up your mind then.” _Is that a smile?_ He couldn't quite tell.

She was sipping wine from a silver cup. “I'm glad you decided to come,” she said, pouring him some as well. “Here. We should talk.”

He took the cup and turned it upside down. “I'm not here to make conversation.”

Joy looked at the puddle of wine on the floor. It was then that she noticed the dagger on his belt, and for a moment, he thought he could see apprehension in her eyes. “Tonight is your night because I am a woman of my word, but don't think I won't remember this.”

Tywin pointed at the floor. “You'd better clean this up,” he said, seating himself in her chair. _Whore_.

Joy shrugged, fetching a piece of cloth from her dresser.

She was about to stoop down to mop up the wine when he interrupted her: “No need to ruin a perfectly good dress. Strip.”

He did not expect her to put down her cup and walk over, turning around right in front of him. “Help me, will you?”

For a moment, he was too taken aback to understand what she wanted him to do, but then he began to unlace her dress in the back. It was bound tightly, so tightly that he wondered how she could even breathe. His hands were shaking, so in the end, he had to use his dagger to cut the lace.

“Everything needs to come off.” He told her once he had pulled down her dress.

Joy slipped off her underskirt and smallclothes without protest, turning around to face him.

She was so close he could see the fine, silvery lines on her breasts and thighs, glistening in the soft light of the oil lamp.

She noticed his gaze. “Yes, little lion. I've given birth. I have a son of my own. He's in Lannisport, with my brother and his wife.”

Somehow, it had never occurred to him that Joy might have a child. She laughed at his surprise. “How else do you think I would be able to give suck to Gerion?”

 _A bastard, most like_ , he thought. _A boy so low of birth he does not even bear the name Hill_. “Father didn't let you bring him to court.” He'd never thought Lord Tytos had that much sense in him.

But Joy shook her head. “The choice was mine.” She closed her eyes. “He's six now. He barely even recognizes me.”

 _I'll need someone to follow her the next time she goes to see him_. “You're his mother. He'll understand why you did what you did.”

Joy chuckled. “Are you trying to put me at ease so I'll let my guard down?” She turned around abruptly and started wiping up the wine he had spilled. “What now? Or have you only come to watch me clean in my nameday suit?”

He hesitated. Even naked, she was still too much at ease, too much in control. “Come.” He took a piece of lace from her dress to tie her hands behind her back.

There was a hook protruding from one of the wooden beams on the ceiling. _That should serve_. He strung the remaining lace together, tying one end around her bound wrists and slinging the other over the hook, pulling her up until she could barely stand on her toes.

He took a step back to take a look at his work.

Joy was bent over slightly, struggling to shift her weight between her strained shoulders and the tips of her toes. “Best not let your father catch us like this.”

 _She's afraid_ , he noted. _Trying to hide it behind a jest, but she's scared now_. He would have lied to claim that did not please him. “My father is hunting lions with Lord Walderan.”

He started rummaging through her drawers, emptying the contents on the floor. He knew well enough by now where she kept her implements, but it was more fun this way.

Joy's eyes widened when he pulled out a thick cord of leather parting into several thinner strings at the end. The look on her face made his stomach flutter. _Didn't expect you'd get whipped, did you? You probably thought I was going to pull you over my lap and give you a mild spanking._

He'd watched plenty of his servants getting whipped before, but he'd never done it himself. Still, he could hear Joy suck in a breath of air when he brought the leather straps down on her backside.

He struck again. Each strap left a thin red mark on her skin. He struck harder. The leather strings curled around her waist, leaving streaks on her side and her belly. Joy hissed.

It only took a few more hits until her back was bleeding and she was fighting back tears. But no matter how hard he struck, she would not cry out, and that was beginning to annoy him.

He stopped to take a look at her near unblemished front, wondering what it would be like to whip that cream-colored belly and her pointed breasts until they were raw and bleeding. He'd never seen it done before, but he just couldn't resist; he had to know what it felt like. _It'll take less force. The skin should break more easily._

There was terror on her face when she realized what he was about to do.

He didn't even strike her that hard, but this time, she did scream. He smacked her again.

The door burst open, and a guard rushed in. “M'lady! Are you alright? Is everything... M'lord?” His eyes flickered back and forth between Joy, bound and bleeding, and Tywin, who had lowered his whip.

Joy was still struggling to regain composure. “It's alright,” she finally said. “I'm fine. Leave us.” At least she did not have the gall to smile.

The guard eyed Tywin suspiciously. “It's not right to hit a lady.” He said. “Is just not right, m'lord.”

“It's alright, Alyn.” Joy repeated. “Go. I'll be _fine_.”

The man bowed, half-convinced at best. “Call if you need help, m'lady!”

Once he was gone, Tywin raised Joy's head. She still looked frightened when she met his eyes.

But she had sent the guard away of her own free will, and that took the fun out of it for him. _And the way that man looked at me. As if I were some savage..._ He gave her a few more lashes on her back before he stopped.

“Don't _ever_ touch me again,” he told her. “Or next time I won't be so kind.”

Joy pushed herself up on her toes to take the strain off her shoulders. “You know you shouldn't make threats you can't keep, little lion,” she said. “I don't think there will be a next time. But I _am_ glad you took my deal.”

A smile crept across his face. “I never accepted your deal. You just assumed I had. You really shouldn't make assumptions, _my lady_.”

Joy sighed. “Well, we'll see about that. Will you let me down at least?”

For a moment, he considered leaving her there. Sooner or later, one of her guards would find and free her. But then he lowered her and cut her wrists free.

She was rubbing her hands, trying to get the blood flowing again. The lace had cut deep into her skin. “You need to learn to control yourself, little lion,” she told him as she wrapped herself in her bedrobe, wincing as the cloth made contact with her back.

“Don't ever lay your hands on me again, and we won't have any problems,” he repeated.

But just as he rushed out her door, he heard a familiar voice. “Tywin! What a happy coincidence. I was just going to speak to Joy about you. Why don't you stay?”

 


End file.
